


Save Me, Help Me, Free Me

by sktrgrl13



Series: The Core of Magic Tetralogy [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cliffhanger, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Extra Magic Powers, F/M, Hurt Gray Fullbuster, M/M, Major Character Injury, Many Liberties were taken in the creation of this fic, Mild Language, Mild torture, Our Babies are still pure...mostly, Pre-END, Pre-Tartaros, Protective Natsu Dragneel, Team as Family, Triggers, dark themes, old story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 15:02:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11315850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sktrgrl13/pseuds/sktrgrl13
Summary: People say love can overcome any obstacle... when Gray is captured and tortured, will a certain dragon slayer be able to help him get passed everything that happened? Or will Gray fall deeper into the abyss? boyxboy involves dark themes - posted on Fanfiction.net in 2013





	1. Save Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Minna ~ 
> 
> This story (as you can see) is almost six years old, and I am only posting it here because I am FINALLY going to continue this entire series with it's fourth and final installment "My Wish". I am going to post the first three stories of the series tonight and perhaps the first chapter of "My Wish" if I don't fall asleep before I do so LOL so bear with me as I post a billion different things tonight.
> 
> If you have been following this series on Fanfiction.net, I am just going to let you know that "My Wish" will probably only be posted on this site as it is a massive crossover with pairings making appearances from multiple animes and I must say that I prefer AO3's methods of organizing pairings and fandoms as opposed to FF -- it just looks so organized!! 
> 
> Anyways, I am finished my rambling for now; I hope you enjoy the series that I post even if it is a little dated and I look forward to hearing from all of you. Thank you so much!

He was cold; colder than he had ever felt in his life. Although his temperature was naturally lower than a normal person, he could still feel the chill deep within his bones. His body was trembling from anxiety and pain; his head throbbed as blood poured down the side of his face and coated his alabaster skin with a thick layer of red. He hissed silently as he curled in upon himself and tried to remember how he had ended up in his new ‘home’.

He considered himself to be strong, but that was until he met _them_ and realized just how wrong he was. His shirt was gone, as expected (though not because of his habit), and countless bruises and cuts decorated his pale skin like a painted canvas. He probably would’ve been able to escape if it weren’t for a thick chain wrapped tightly around his ankles. He couldn’t do much if he was chained to the floor; it would be more convenient if the chains didn’t prevent him from using his magic either…

For the first time in many years he felt alone; all he wanted was to go back to Fairy Tail and be with his friends… his family. His heart throbbed in his chest as he thought of his eccentric family; he missed them all. He missed Cana's uncontrollable drinking, Lucy's attitude, Erza's frightening demeanor, and Mirajane's smile.  But surprisingly, most of all, he missed his pink haired dragon slayer. He had so much to tell him, so much he wanted to do. He wanted to thank him for being his best friend and rival, he wanted to tell him how important he was to the guild and to himself… he wanted to tell him that he would always love him… but now he might never even know.

The sound of footsteps suddenly echoed around him and _their_ voices were getting closer; they were getting louder. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself as his captor’s oppressive magic floated into his ‘room’. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to last against this man’s magic and that’s what truly scared him.

"Natsu…" His weak voice echoed hopelessly, "Please…save me."

FTFTFTFT                                                                                                

For the first time since the Fairy Tail guild had situated itself in Magnolia; it was silent. The sound of partying, shouting, cursing, and fighting were absent from daily life. All that remained was the oppressive silence that swallowed ever member of Fairy Tail like a virus. Cana wasn’t drinking; her barrel was just lying unused in between her legs as she stared blankly at the table that resided in the middle of the hall. Mira was cleaning the counter, a tight smile on her pale face as she tried to interact with the other members and get at least one of them to say something; anything. Even so, she knew that it was going to be impossible; one of their family was missing and no one knew where he went or if he was hurt. But she knew, along with everyone else, that no matter how quiet they all seemed; no one could be worse than Natsu.

He was sitting at the ‘designated’ table for Team Natsu; not a sound has escaped his lips since the day Gray Fullbuster was determined to be missing…that was three weeks ago. His tanned hands were clutched tightly to his white pants and his head was bent down so that his spiky pink hair covered his onyx coloured eyes. His body was shaking as he tried to reign in his anguish and anger; the last thing he needed to do was blow up the guild hall. It was proving to be hard to do so; his heart was nearly breaking at the seams. Gray had always been beside him, be it that they're fighting as rivals or completing missions as team mates or even just chilling at the guild as best friends; Natsu just felt so…empty… without the ice mage around.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when a warm hand was placed gently on the dragon slayer's shoulder. He raised his head and his eyes landed on his newest friend and celestial mage Lucy Heartfilia. The blonde was shaking almost as much as he was and she had dark bags under her eyes; they all did. Everyone has been trying so hard to find the wayward ice mage with no luck whatsoever. The Thunder Tribe weren’t having any luck finding him and they are one of the strongest teams in Fairy Tail.

"We'll find him Natsu."

Natsu wanted to nod his head; he knew that she not only said that for him, but for herself as well. He just couldn’t get himself to do it anymore…whatever faith and determination he had the beginning was slowly starting to disappear.

“I hope so Lucy…”

Suddenly a hand came crashing down on the top of his head making a curse escape from his mouth as he toppled out of the chair. He rubbed his bruised head rhythmically as he stared up at his attacker only to see that it was none other than Erza Scarlet. He was about to yell at her for hitting him when he saw the dark expression on her face. Her bottom lip was quivering with barely supressed emotion and her dark brown eyes were shadowed by her long, fiery red hair.

“How dare you?!” She hissed, “How dare you act as if you’re going to give up?!”

Natsu clenched his fists at his sides and gritted his teeth angrily,

“That’s…”

Erza didn’t have anything of it; she reached down and grabbed the front of his vest so that they were practically nose to nose. He was faintly aware of the other guild members gathering around them and someone (most likely Lucy, Wendy or Happy) trying to convince the great Titania to let him go. However, all he could stare at were the tears that were slowly starting to make their way down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around the woman he considered his older sister and hugged her tightly. Sometimes he forgot that Gray and Erza were together a lot longer before he himself had joined Fairy Tail; Gray, no matter how falsely boisterous or awkwardly silent, was the one who first broke through Erza’s armoured heart.

“We’ll find him,” Natsu felt himself repeating Lucy’s words, “No matter how long we’ll have to look, we’ll find him; we have to.”

She reached out to him and placed her hand around his. He felt her squeeze his hand reassuringly which he did in return as they got to their feet. He had finally realized that he wasn't the only one who was worried, everyone was. Fairy Tail just wouldn't be the same without the ice mage's cocky and silently supportive presence. He turned towards his guild mates only to see that a new sense of determination had sprouted on each and every one of their faces; they were going to stop at nothing to bring their ice mage home.

Suddenly, a minty scent wafted through the guild causing Natsu's heart to stop beating. His eyes shifted around the guild hall anxiously before turning on his heel and running toward the front doors. He could hear his family’s confused voices calling after him as he left; but he couldn’t stop…it’s been so long since he smelt that particular scent; the scent of pine trees and minty leaves. He hastily pushed the door open and ran down the almost empty street; the minty smell immediately strengthened…that could only mean…

“Natsu!” Lucy ran up to him, “What the hell has gotten into you?! You just ran out of the guild…”

"I can smell him," He supressed his anxiety and excitement.

“WHAT?!” Lucy gasped as one of her hands covered her mouth.

Natsu ignored her as he tried to pinpoint where the scent was coming from,

"Gather as much of the guild as you can. I'm going to go ahead to see if I can find him; make sure you bring Gajeel and Wendy with you. I don't know what condition he'll be in and they'll also be able to follow his scent so you can catch up with me."

The blonde mage's honey brown eyes widened as she tried to retain the information. She nodded her head quickly before running back to the guild. Natsu took off down the street following Gray's comforting scent as fast as he possibly could.

_I'm coming Gray, just hold on a little longer!_

FTFTFTFT

Gray didn't know how long he had been imprisoned, but he knew that it has been a long time. His stomach no longer growled with hunger, but frequently ached with unbearable pain. He could hardly distinguish his own skin anymore; he just saw blood and bruises. His head was rested in his forearms, his dark hair covering his deep blue eyes as tears threatened to fall. He had never felt so weak in his life; not even when he was a little boy in the presence of Deliora. At that time, he wasn't strong enough to fight back; now, he should’ve been able to defeat them…instead he just found out how weak he truly was.

The sound of metal scratching against metal caused his head to snap up. He immediately tried to back himself into the corner of the room so he could hide from his captors. The chains around his ankles kept him from going very far, but he was going to try; like hell he wasn’t going to fight in any way he possibly could…even if the only thing he was capable of doing was being defiant.

The metal gates of his prison were thrown open; the sharp sound of the doors hitting the concrete walls resounded in his ears. His eyes widened fearfully as a large, burly man entered the prison and smiled down at his captive sadistically. He wasn’t the one who had magic, but he was just as terrifying as his leader. His beefy face was marred with countless scars and his demon black eyes laughed at him as he cowered in fear.

He tried to avoid him as the man's large hand reached out and latched itself around Gray's neck, forcibly lifting him from the ground. The chains chewed against his ankles as he struggled against his captor's grasp; the smell of alcohol and sex wafted off the man causing Gray to cringe. The man laughed and threw Gray to the ground, his ribs cracking painfully as he bounced off the floor; another broken rib to add to his collection.

"So beautiful," The man whispered huskily.

Gray nearly froze while he tried to push himself into a sitting position. He started to back away from the man as his looming figure got closer and closer to him once more. His sore ribs and torn muscles burned from the exertion, but his fear began to numb the pain.

"Shadowsky said that I shouldn't touch the merchandise," The man laughed quietly; his dark eyes shining dangerously, "After all, a prized, virgin specimen such as yourself could go for a lot of jewel; but you're so tantalizing, it's hard to resist."

The weak ice mage’s ice widened dramatically as the man’s words sunk in to his exhausted and pain-filled brain. His heart dropped into his stomach as he continued to move away from the large man; he couldn’t let that happen…he just couldn’t.

“No,” He whispered pleadingly for the first time since he was eight, “Please don’t.”

The man smirked as he advanced on the damaged ice mage; revelling in the fear that swallowed the mage's eyes. He once again reached out and grabbed Gray by his hair and brought him up so that they were eye level once more. Gray tried to move his head out of the way, but the grip around his neck tightened causing him to grasp at the hand holding him up and try and gasp for air.

He couldn’t stop the man when he smashed his calloused lips against the ice mage’s lips and forced his tongue into Gray's mouth exploring the mysterious, cold cavern. Gray uncharacteristically whimpered as he struggled in the man's grip. The man’s tongue was about to run along the top of his mouth when he bit down on the man's tongue; suddenly, he falling to the floor. Gray wrapped his arm around his ribs and hissed; he backed into the corner of the room again and stared up at the man fearlessly. The man roared in pain as blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth. He growled as he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and glared down at the severely beaten ice mage; a sadistic gleam apparent in his obsidian eyes.

"You want to play rough; I'll show you how to play rough."

In the blink of an eye, the man dove at Gray and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. The ice mage nearly threw up from the pain caused by the man’s large arms squeezing his broken ribs. Despite the pain, Gray tried to break free; squirming and kicking anywhere he could reach so that he could get himself away from his captor. Gray’s spine suddenly went rigid when without warning the man shoved his hand down the front of Gray's pants. A gasp escaped Gray's mouth as he still futilely struggled against the larger man's grasp. The man started sucking on Gray's neck as he fondled the younger boy reluctantly rendering him under submission.

"Stop," He rasped, "Please stop, I don't want this."

"Don’t say that," The man chuckled as he squeezed Gray’s half-erect member, "It’s obvious that you do.”

The ice mage tried to squirm away from the touch which only prompted the man to throw Gray onto his stomach, effectively knocking the air out of his lungs. Before Gray could react, his pants were being ripped down his body, exposing his backside. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest as fear and despair started to claw relentlessly against his insides. As a last attempt he tried to crawl away but the man already had a tight grip on his hips preventing him from moving even an inch. Gray closed his eyes as tears escaped from underneath his dark lashes and splashed onto the cold, cement floor.

"Don't worry," The man whispered in his ear, "It will only hurt a little bit."

_I’m sorry Natsu… I wasn’t strong enough…_

That was the last coherent thought he had before the man plunged himself into Gray. His back instantaneously arched spastically as the thick intruder pushed through his rings of muscle. He tried to move his body away but all he could do was sit back and feel as his insides tore open and blood running down his pale thighs as his opening was continuously assaulted. It didn’t take long for tears to run down his cheeks as his hoarse screams engulfed the small room and mingled harmoniously with the man’s laughter.

"STOP!" He cried.

The man ignored him and grabbed Gray's sides tighter, thrusting deeper within the pleading boy; moving the pale and broken body so harshly that Gray’s face was being peeled by the harsh cement. After what was an eternity of pain and an eternity of hell, the man came deep inside of the young ice mage and smiled when he was satisfied. He roughly pulled himself out of Gray's entrance sending another wave of pain and basically shoved the limp body away from him. Gray remained on his stomach, dry tear tracks mingling on his heavily scraped face. The man chuckled and leant down by his head; pulling the young ice mage closer so that they were nose to nose once more.

"I'll be back soon my bearer and then we can pick up where we left off."

The man crashed his lips against Gray's again and shoved his tongue into his mouth once more. Gray didn’t react in any way; he didn't fight him off and he didn’t scream...he just continued to stare past the man blankly, not seeing anything at all. The man removed his mouth off the mage's and smiled triumphantly when he saw his new doll lying broken on the floor.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu stared up at the decrepit building standing across from him as he hid in the nearby treeline. He had followed Gray's scent to the outskirts of Magnolia, just near the forest. The dragon slayer's stomach tightened as a sense of dread quickly swallowed his entire being. He didn’t know what state Gray was going to be in, but after three weeks he probably didn’t look too good. For the first time in his life, Natsu quietly made his way to the building only to see a handful of men standing around the building with magic guns strapped firmly at their hips.

"Shit." He muttered.

He ran behind the large house and silently jumped onto the roof as if he were a cat. Luckily, the men around the house didn't notice his presence even in the slightest. Natsu lay on his stomach and hung his head over the edge of the roof to look for an alternate entrance. Natsu winced when the roof groaned under his weight; Lucy was right, he had to lay off the fifth serving of dinner. The pink haired mage sighed when none of the guards showed any indication of his presence and continued to search; he immediately found a window right beneath him.

He silently opened the window and swung himself inside; landing carefully on the tips of his toes. Natsu listened intently for any signs that he was heard and released his breath when he realized that he was fine. He glanced around his surroundings and noticed that the room he was standing in was used fairly often. A bottle of liquor and a sandwich lay on a table closest to the fireplace with files upon files scattered throughout the room. He approached the desk in the middle of the room apprehensively and began to search through the files for some sort of clue about the people who managed to take Gray away. The exhibitionist ice mage was strong (no matter how often he tried to deny it) and it wouldn’t have been easy to take him down. However, the files only seemed to contain lists of names and a certain amount of jewels beside each name.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion and scanned through the list. He was surprised to find that he actually recognized some of the names from various guilds around Fiore; like Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale. When Natsu got to the end of the list he found Gray's name without a price beside it. His attention wandered over to the table again and his eyes drifted to a file with Gray's name on it. Natsu picked it up and opened it slowly; his mouth dropped open when he saw what was inside.

Gray's entire life history, even from before he met Ur, was compiled into this little folder. All the missions he was on, his past with Deliora, past relationships and sexual relationships; he wasn’t surprised to see that the ice mage didn’t have any sexual experience. Despite being an exhibitionist, Gray was fairly shy and was awkward around girls (as he didn’t know how to handle them); hell, he just wasn’t all too comfortable with people to begin with. Out of curiosity, he reached for another folder with a random name on it and looked at it. Like Gray, this person had no sexual relationships; as Natsu looked through other folders he saw that the other people didn't have sexual relationships either. Natsu's inner flame began to flicker angrily as he realized started to piece together what this house was hiding.

Before Natsu's flames could get out of control, Gray's minty scent wafted towards him once more. Natsu ran out of the room; his speed quickening when the scent of blood started to permeate the minty smell as well. Natsu was so distracted that he almost didn't hear the sounds of footsteps coming at him. At the last second he dove into a corridor and pressed himself into the shadows. A large man walked past Natsu with a satisfied smirk on his face; he didn’t even know the bastard, but he already wanted to beat the shit out of him. What troubled Natsu the most about the man though was that some of Gray's scent was on him.

The pinkette waited for the man to stagger away before he slid out of his hiding place and continued on his mission. Natsu ran down three flights of stairs until he found himself in the basement. The basement was freezing; he almost couldn’t even stand how cold it was… that made his heart sink into his stomach. The dragon slayer walked around the basement looking for Gray when he stumbled upon a barred metal door. Natsu glanced inside and saw Gray's head; he hastily threw open the door and ran in as fast as he could.

The ice mage’s name was on the tip of his tongue when he stopped in his tracks; frozen. His widened fearfully as his eyes fell on Gray for the first time in three weeks. His body was covered in red bloody scars and bruises; his oddly pale skin was barely distinguishable. What was even worse was that Natsu could see the outlines of Gray’s hipbones and could count every rib perfectly. Natsu’s eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the strange hand shaped bruises wrapped around Gray’s waist and the torn and bloody figure of his face.

Gray stared blankly ahead, his deep blue eyes completely devoid of life; it was like he hadn’t even realized that the pinkette was there. Natsu’s eyes trailed over his best friend’s body and noticed that Gray's pants and boxers were around his ankles; stopped from leaving his limbs by the thick chains imprisoning him. Natsu would’ve thought that it was a failed stripping attempt if it weren’t for him seeing Gray’s raw and bloody backside; clear liquid and red still dripping down his thighs.

The man that carried Gray's scent immediately flashed across Natsu's mind and anger pulsed throughout him. He could feel his fire magic straining against his body; trying with all its might to break out and kick that rapist’s ass for ever laying his hand on his nakama…his family…his everything. Natsu supressed his instinct for once in his life and focused all his attention on Gray; he’s the one who needed him right now. He exhaled and walked towards Gray cautiously; dropping onto the cement floor so that his knees rested in the ice mage’s line of sight. Before Natsu moved a muscle, Gray flinched and tried to back away from the pinkette; fear and pain evident on his once strong face.

"Please, no more." Tears gathered at the corner of Gray’s eyes, "No more."

Natsu flinched from the distressed and broken tone of his friend before slowly lifting his hand. His hand was about an inch away from the ice mage’s head when the raven gave a strangled, almost silent scream, and tried to move away from his hand. Gray tried to curl himself into a protective position, only to have his weakened and injured body utterly betray him.

"Don't touch me! Please don't hurt me anymore!"

Natsu could feel his own tears gathering in the corner of his eyes as he stared at the shell of his best friend; it made him wonder if there was anything left of him to save. Natsu was pulled out of his ramblings by the sound of explosions erupting from outside, but he drowned them out. He knew that it was the rest of his family; they could handle what was going on outside. He kept all his attention on Gray; he was the one who needed him most. The dragon slayer reached his hand out again and gently placed it on Gray's frozen and battered cheekbones. He used his thumb to wipe the tears off his friend's cheeks and cupped his face earnestly,

"You're going to be okay," Natsu whispered; his voice cracking slightly, "I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore."

Gray’s exhausted deep blue eyes faintly cleared as he gazed into the onyx eyes of the dragon slayer. The raven’s pale shoulders started to shake with suppressed sobs as he tried vainly to lift a hand and touch the warm hand that was pressed against his face.

"N-Natsu?" Gray's voice broke.

The pinkette kept eye contact with the raven and tried to nod his head encouragingly; tears starting to slip down his tanned cheeks,

“Yeah Gray, it’s me…I’m going to get you out of here, I promise; do you hear me?”

There was a beat of silence when without warning Gray weakly launched himself into Natsu's arms and grasped onto the back of Natsu’s black vest desperately. His battered face pressed against the crook of Natsu’s neck as tears rained down into the scaled design of the pinkette’s most precious item. The dragon slayer carefully wrapped his arms around the ice mage and rocked him back and forth; whispering everything and nothing into the ice mage’s ears. The black haired teen clung to Natsu's heat in attempts to sooth his broken and defiled body; he needed to know that Natsu was actually there.

"Gray…" Natsu whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to get those chains off your ankles; it might hurt a little and you're going to have to let me go for a minute."

Gray nodded his head hesitantly and let go of Natsu. Having no strength of his own to hold himself up, he laid his head on the cold ground. Gray could faintly feel heat near his ankles, but he was so out of it that he didn't even feel the burn. He felt weight fall off his ankles and he felt his pants being pulled up his bruised legs. He ignored the pain by drowning himself in the now existent presence of his ice magic.

As quickly as the pain was there, it was gone and Natsu's warm arms were wrapped around him once more. Natsu gently lifted Gray off the ground and carried him bridal style. Gray grunted in pain at the movement and clung desperately to Natsu's white scarf. The two teens escaped the house and ran into the chaos outside.

The Fairy Tail members cheered at the sight of them and immediately swarmed them. According to Erza, one of the heads of the operation Yakumo had escaped during the battle. Natsu's temper flared causing more heat to envelope Gray. Normally the heat would annoy Gray, but thanks to this familiar heat and familiar heart beat beating alongside his, he knew that he was safe.

TBC


	2. Help Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On to Chapter 2!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mashima-sensei still owns the magnificent world that is Fairy Tail

The guild hall was overflowing with celebration, laughter, shouts and explosions. Some of the members were away on missions and others were simply just sitting inside the guild drinking with their friends. However, there was one Fairy Tail mage that did not partake in the spontaneous festivities that swallowed the guild in an excited stupor. A raven haired teen sat in the farthest, darkest corner of the guild with his head lying in his arms on the table. Dark bags lined his deep blue eyes and his normally flawless pale complexion was waxy and clung to his gaunt cheek bones. His eyes were glazed over and pained as he was haunted by what happened last month. Every time he closed his eyes, that bastard’s face would invade his dreams which prompted him into avoiding sleep all together.  He sighed exhaustedly and ran his hand through his hair; the only upside about this whole ordeal was that his stripping habit had finally been beaten. Since he had been rescued, not one article of clothing dared to leave his lean frame; he would rather kill himself than let his friends… his family… see the disgusting being that he had become.

He pulled his legs into his chest and closed his eyes for a few moments, hoping to get a few moments of sleep when Yakumo’s scarred, beefy face appeared in his mind’s eye; the pain from that day immediately resurfaced. His eyes shot open and tears began to gather in his deep blue orbs. His chest started constricting with panic, so he just held himself closer together, praying that no one would notice and try to break through his defenses. For the first couple weeks, he was able to put on this façade that encouraged the guild into believing that Gray was going to be alright and that he was going to get through it; it was so good that for a while he began to trick himself, but now he was falling apart… and he was hating it… he was hating himself… his weakness. His stomach ached silently, hoping that for the first time in weeks Gray would answer its call and eat, but he couldn’t do it.

The ice mage pushed himself to his feet and the world began to swim around him. He put his hand on the table for balance and closed his eyes. When he felt that world had righted itself, he made his way from the table and toward the guild doors. He was almost there when the doors opened on their own. Gray’s walls around his heart and emotions seemed to crack slightly when the pink haired dragon slayer walked into the guild with that goofy smile on his face. Natsu, Lucy and Happy had been on a quest for the last couple weeks in Akane; they had invited Gray, but he turned them down, so they would not see how broken he had become. Judging by the smile on the dragon slayer’s face, the job went well, however Lucy’s expression was completely the opposite; she looked like she was about to explode. Gray forced his signature smirk on his face and slowly made his way over to his teammates.

“Hey guys, how’d the mission go?”

Lucy’s blonde brow twitched in annoyance,

“Oh it went fine. Defeated the bad guys and that idiot destroyed half the town so we didn’t get paid.”

“C’mon Lucy,” Natsu rolled his eyes, “It wasn’t that bad.”

“’Wasn’t that bad’ my ass.”

She turned on her heel and stormed away mumbling under her breath. Gray had to laugh at her predicament; what did she expect? Of course Natsu was going to blow the town up; he has never failed to do so before.

“So where are you off to?” Natsu asked curiously.

“I think I’m going to head home,” Gray shrugged, “There’s not much going on here.”

“Oh, okay.” The fire mage watched him carefully, “See you around then ice block.”

“Sure thing flame head.”

Gray moved to walk around Natsu when his legs suddenly gave out from under him. He heard someone calling his name and saw the hardwood floor rushing up to meet his face when a warm hand wrapped securely around his waist. The last thing he saw before his eyes slid closed was Natsu’s onyx eyes staring down at him with concern.

FTFTFTFTFTFT

Natsu, Lucy and Happy were making their way back to the guild from the train station. Natsu was walking calmly with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face. He had been away from the guild for two weeks and he missed everyone like crazy; he especially wanted to see how Gray was doing. Despite how the ice mage has been acting the weeks leading to before the mission the pink haired teen couldn’t help but notice that Gray’s smile never reached his eyes. He was worried that Gray was keeping everything in again; why he thought he had to do that, Natsu could never understand. The dragon slayer expected his friend to be a little shell shocked because of what happened to him, but the ice mage seemed to have bounced back; too fast for Natsu to be completely comfortable with it.

Natsu continued to ignore Lucy’s complaints as the guild hall came into view. Subconsciously, he picked up his speed and was nearly running to the hall. The thought of seeing Gray was making his heart pound and he was desperate to see him. At that thought, a small blush spread across his cheeks and his face heated up slightly. He shook his head and decided that he was just wondering how the ice mage was doing. He opened the doors to the hall and was greeted by the sounds of laughter and merriment, causing his smile to widen.

His onyx eyes immediately fell on Gray who was standing by the doors. Even though he was happy to see his rival, he had to fight his facial muscles so that his smile stayed on his face; Gray didn’t look well at all. Not only was the exhibitionist fully clothed for once in his life, but he resembled a walking skeleton. His eyes were dark and lacked the warmth that they used to possess. His face was gaunt and his clothes looked too big for his lean frame; they were basically falling off his body. The only things significantly normal about Gray was the coldness he naturally carried and the smirk on his face; but the smirk even seemed forced.

“Hey guys, how was the mission?”

His voice even sounded broken; how could no one have noticed? Natsu was about ready to knock some sense into everyone around him until he realized that Lucy was still complaining about the mission. At least it was half of the town instead of the whole town; honestly, Natsu was proud of his work.

“C’mon Lucy,” He rolled his eyes, “It wasn’t that bad.”

“’Wasn’t that bad’ my ass.”

She turned on her heel and stormed away; sometimes she could be such a drama queen. Natsu returned his gaze back to the ice mage standing in front of him. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw the ice mage swaying on the spot slightly,

“So where are you off to?”

“I think I’m going to head home,” Gray shrugged, “There’s not much going on here.”

That’s when he noticed it again; the slight swaying in Gray’s stature was becoming a little more pronounced sparking worry into the dragon slayer,

“Oh okay, see you around then ice block.”

“Sure thing flame head.”

Natsu watched as Gray tried to take a step forward when his legs gave out. The dragon slayer instantaneously whipped his arm out and wrapped his arm around the ice mage’s waist. He was slightly thrown off by how boney his waist was against his arm.

“GRAY!”

Deep blue eyes connected with onyx for a brief moment before his eyes slid closed. Panic ensnared Natsu causing the temperature of the guild hall to spark slightly. Running footsteps could be heard from behind him, but he was frozen. A hand reached towards Gray and Natsu just pulled him closer to his chest,

“Don’t touch him.”

“Natsu,” Mirajane’s soft voice blanketed over him, “We want to help Gray, okay? We’re not going to hurt him.”

The dragon slayer still held on to the raven haired teen protectively, not wanting anyone near him. To emphasize this, the temperature in the guild hall went up even more. He heard the footsteps back up and the temperature cooled down. Something cold was placed on his shoulder and he recognized it as Erza’s hand.

“Natsu, you need to let us take a look at him.” Her voice was stern, but also held a warmth that he wasn’t used to.

“I didn’t know it was that bad,” Natsu whispered, “I shouldn’t have left him alone.”

“We’re just as much at fault,” Erza said sadly, “So let us make up for it by giving him the help he needs.”

The pink haired teen nodded and turned to Erza and the rest of the guild. Tears were prickling at the corner of his eyes and one even managed to trail down his cheek. Knowing not to try and take Gray from Natsu again, Mirajane lead Natsu to the second floor and into the infirmary. When they got into the dimly lit room, Natsu gently laid Gray on the white bed and was nearly sickened by the fact that Gray nearly blended in with the sheets. Without a word he sat next to the bed and held onto Gray’s hand; afraid that if he were to break contact Gray would disappear before his eyes. For the first time in many years, Natsu bowed his head and cried.

FTFTFTFTFTFT

_He was walking down the crowded streets of Magnolia as the autumn leaves decorated the ground and the sun kissed his skin. Natsu was walking by his side with one of those goofy smiles that always seemed to make his heart soar. He laughed as Natsu basically exploded with happiness at the food stands that surrounded the main street. Gray himself could care less about the food, but he was happy to see the dragon slayer happy. Suddenly the sky turned dark and the air turned icy cold. Normally Gray would be okay with this weather, but something wasn’t right. The streets of Magnolia vanished along with the food carts, along with Natsu himself. Gray called out for Natsu desperately when something cold and heavy wrapped around his ankles tightly. He looked down and saw familiar shackles around his ankles and panicked. He bent down and tried to pull the shackles off when he was suddenly thrown backwards and a large metal door slammed shut. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he curled himself into a ball so he could just disappear. Then booming laughter surrounded the room he was in and a chill trailed up his spine. He closed his eyes tightly and rocked himself back and forth; hoping, praying, that it wasn’t who he thought it was. A beefy hand grabbed his hair and pulled him forward. Out of pain his eyes shot open and Yakumo’s obsidian eyes laughed at him maliciously. Gray struggled in his grip, but he failed in doing so when Yakumo’s lips smashed against his own. A small whimper of pain escaped Gray’s lips causing Yakumo to laugh like a lunatic._

“Gray! Wake up!”

_Yakumo threw him onto his stomach with a sickening crack. Gray knew what was coming next so he tried to curl in on himself, but new shackles had appeared and wrapped tightly around his wrists and the back of his neck. Yakumo’s hot breath brushed against his ear,_

_“Don’t worry, it’s only going to hurt a little bit.”_

_Tears flowed down Gray’s cheeks as the pain started. So much pain and he was so alone; he deserved this, he deserved all of it and he knew it, but it still hurt._

“GRAY!”

Gray shot forward, a cold sweat blanketing his pale skin. He glanced around frantically, but all he could see was darkness. His breathing hitched as panic consumed his very being. He was on the verge of hyperventilating, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He pushed himself backwards so his back was against the wall. He pulled his legs against his chest and rocked himself back and forth. Something touched his arms and he threw himself to the ground and put his arms over his head and continued to rock,

“Don’t hurt me,” He muttered, “Don’t hurt me, I-I know I deserve it… but please just spare me this once.”

“Gray…”

“P-Please no more!” He cried as his body shook, “I can’t take it anymore! P-Please don’t hurt me…”

“Gray, I won’t hurt you,” A voice whispered soothingly, “I could never hurt you.”

The ice mage covered his ears and rocked back and forth even faster,

“N-No! You’re lying to me! You just want me to trust you so you can hurt me again!”

Without warning, warm arms wrapped around Gray. He struggled and tried to get away, but he was locked firmly in place. Tears continued to fall down his face and his breathing hitched with more ferocity, but the person holding him refused to let go. His eyes opened without his want, but his tears renewed when they did. A familiar pink haired dragon slayer had his arms wrapped tightly around him; the heat was so comforting, but he was so scared.

“N-Natsu?” He whispered brokenly.

“Yes Gray, I’m here.”

“D-Don’t let him get me.” Gray stuttered, “D-Don’t leave me alone.”

“I won’t leave you.” His arms wrapped around the trembling mage even tighter, “I won’t ever let you go.”

“But he’s always there…” Gray whispered, “Every time I close my eyes, around every corner, and everywhere I go… he’s always there…watching me.”

The dragon slayer’s own eyes had filled with tears by this point and they were falling down his cheeks like a waterfall. He had never seen the strong, independent, and capable ice mage so broken and defeated; he hated it… he hated, no, he loathed the man who did this to his Gray. Natsu gently pressed his lips against Gray’s forehead and rocked him back and forth soothingly.

“Help me…” Gray’s voice whispered.

“Don’t worry anymore Gray,” Natsu whispered back, “I’ll be by your side until your strong enough to stand on your own.”

The ice mage buried his face into the crook of Natsu’s neck and immersed himself in the dragon slayer’s familiar scent and heat,

“Thank you.”

Natsu held him tightly and nodded his head in response. He ran his hand gently through Gray’s hair and wiped the tears of the mage’s pale face. Gray snuggled closer to his dragon slayer and let his remaining tears fall down his cheeks. Even though the road ahead of him was going to be tough and even when he feels like he is going to fall apart, Natsu was going to be there beside him… holding his hand.

TBC


	3. Free Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally Chapter 3!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mashima-sensei owns Fairy Tail, not me!

The streets of Magnolia Town were bustling with uncontainable energy as the date of the Autumn Festival approached. Various wooden planks, hammers, nails, rope and crafts littered the crowded streets as the townsfolk prepared their different floats and booths for the carnival and parade. Among the townsfolk, the most excited for the festival were the well-known mages of the Fairy Tail guild. The members of the guild loved the festival for a variety of reasons; Cana liked it because she could drink all she wanted without Erza yelling at her, Master liked it because he could see ‘all his beautiful ladies’, Erza went because she could have all the strawberry cake she could ever wish for and the rest of the guild liked the festival for all the different games; no one was more competitive than those of the Fairy Tail guild.

This year however, one Fairy Tail mage was a little nervous about going out and spending the night on the town. Although he was slowly making his way down the path of recovery, Gray Fullbuster was still hesitant about wandering around Magnolia at night. The only people who actually knew this about him were Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Happy and Master; he refused to tell anyone else. The guild already saw his weak side once, and he sure as hell was not going to let them see it again. He had to admit though, since letting Natsu behind his barriers he had been able to get over most of the pain and trauma that was inflicted upon him when he was in the hands of Rahul and Yakumo; but since Yakumo had yet to be caught, Gray couldn’t help but worry that Yakumo was still in the shadows watching his every move.

The raven-haired teen ran his hand through his hair as he walked silently towards the guild hall. He kept his head down as he moved through the crowded streets. He couldn’t help but feel eyes on him, but he knew it was mainly anxiety; damnit, he hated being weak. He unconsciously quickened his footsteps which resulted him in running into a few people and receiving a couple dirty looks. He was halfway to the hall when he heard a voice calling for him in the distance. Without his permission a relieved smile spread across his face as he turned towards the familiar voice. A certain pink-haired, hot headed dragon slayer was making his way through the crowds of people shouting at the top of his lungs as obnoxiously as he could. Gray stopped walking and leaned against a nearby building to wait for his long term rival, best friend, crush and savior. After a couple of moments, the dragon slayer had finally caught up with him; his goofy smile firmly planted on his face.

“Jeez ice-block, who would’ve thought you could actually move that fast.”

“What’s that supposed to mean flame-brain?” Gray growled jovially, “Are you calling me slow?”

“Well considering all the hits I can land on you…”

Gray rolled his eyes and ceremoniously planted his fist into the top of Natsu’s head. Natsu hissed in pain and rubbed the sore spot rhythmically,

“Care to rephrase that hot head?”

Natsu mumbled under his breath and glared at the ice mage darkly. Gray laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets while pushing himself off the wall. The rivals walked side by side to the guild hall in complete silence for a couple moments before Natsu sighed,

“So, how have you been doing lately?”

Gray shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the fire mage out of the corner of his eye,

“Okay I guess; I’m still anxious sometimes, but it’s getting better.”

Natsu nodded and a satisfied smile spread across his lips,

“Are you going to come to the festival?”

The ice mage sighed and looked at his feet. He knew this question was coming sooner or later. He, Natsu, and Erza have been going to this specific festival together every year since they met each other, and it would be weird if he didn’t go.

“I don’t know, maybe.” Gray avoided Natsu’s onyx eyes.

“You have to go ice for brains; it wouldn’t be the same without you.” Natsu pouted, “You know I won’t let anything happen to you right?”

A light blush crawled onto Gray’s cheeks and he turned his head away from Natsu’s line of sight,

“I’m not weak Natsu; I don’t need your protection.”

He quickened his pace to get away from the dragon slayer, but stopped when a familiar warm hand latched onto his wrist. His heart raced upon the contact and he felt all the blood rush to his ears. He kept his head down and continued to avoid Natsu’s inquiring and confused gaze,

“I never said you were; I was trying to let you know that I have your back if you need me.” The pinkette tightened his grip on his wrist.

Gray yanked his arm out of the dragon slayers grasp and turned back towards the guild,

“I know you’re there, you’re always there; there’s nothing I can do to change that fact, but, I don’t want you to get more involved than you already are. I don’t want to depend on you anymore; you have no idea how weak that makes me feel.”

“Gray…”

“It’s not that I’m not thankful for all you have done to help me, because I am. I am thankful that you have been by my side like you have been for all these years; it means the world to me, more than you know. I just want things to be the way it was before, before that bastard did that to me. I’m tired of being treated like something that is broken; I’m not shattered anymore.”

Gray clenched his fists at his sides and walked away without a backwards glance at the dragon slayer that he held so close to his throbbing heart.

FTFTFTFTFT

Natsu watched the retreating back of his cold, lonely, and frightened friend. The autumn wind whipped around him causing his treasured white scarf to blow around. Although the ice mage was healthier, happier and slowly returning to his old self, the pink haired teen couldn’t help but worry about him. It’s true that he was wary and more than a little protective of his raven-haired friend, but he couldn’t help it. Watching the ice mage fall apart, not having the ice mage by his side safe and sound was something that Natsu wanted to avoid at any cost. If he were to lose Gray again, Natsu wasn’t sure if he would be able to exist; he just loved that damn stupid ice freak too much. Natsu sighed and slowly followed the path the ice mage took. Different smells drifted into his nostrils, but he tried to ignore them; now wasn’t the time to get distracted. He was almost at the guild doors when the scent of hay, mould, blood and a hint of mint invaded his barrier of forced indifference. Natsu tensed and frantically searched around him as he tried to pinpoint the scent. He clenched and unclenched his jaw in anger as the memories of Gray’s prison and broken form flooded his mind. Natsu headed towards the alleyway where the scent was coming from, his hands set a flame. He was about to enter the alley when a hand clapped down on his shoulder. He whipped around prepared to strike when the form of the queen of the Fairies showed in his vision.

“Shit Erza!” Natsu extinguished his flames, “Don’t do that!”

The red haired mage regarded the dragon slayer with calculative brown eyes,

“What were doing in the alley Natsu?”

The pinkette turned his back to Titania and glanced down the alley again to see that it was vacant. He sniffed the air for the disgusting scent, but found that it had disappeared.

“Natsu,” The armour mage demanded darkly, “I demand you tell me what is going on.”

“I thought I smelt something _distinctive_ and I had to check it out.” He responded darkly.

“Distinctive in what way?” Erza inquired.

“As in the next time I smell it, nothing will stop me from murdering the bastard.”

Erza narrowed her eyes when she realized who Natsu was referring to,

“You’re sure it was him?”

The dragon slayer nodded stiffly,

“Gray’s scent is still on him.”

Erza also stiffened slightly, but only because Natsu whipped around and slammed his fist into a nearby brick building. His muscles tensed and un-tensed with anger; his body was quivering with all the rage that was building up inside of him.

“We’ll keep him safe Natsu…”

“He wouldn’t let us Erza and you know it.” The pink haired teen growled, “It would make him feel weak and that’s the last thing he wants.”

“I’m well aware of that; he gave Lucy, Happy and I that speech when he came to the guild hall today.” Erza said sadly, “But since when do we listen to what he has to say?”

A half-hearted chuckle slipped past Natsu’s lips,

“You got a point there.”

FTFTFTFTFT

The sunset pressed on the side of his house as Gray pressed his back against the head board of his bed. The cold wood on his bare back was a slight comfort to the all too tense muscles lining his bones. The sound of excited villagers drifted through his open window, almost convincing him to come out of the safe seclusion of his home, but he refused to move. He wrapped his arms protectively around his knees and placed his head in his lap. The autumn air danced around his room in celebration as the cheers of the villagers got louder and louder.

Gray sighed and reluctantly pushed himself to his feet. He wandered over to his window and noticed that parade had started. He couldn’t help but wonder if the guild was going to be in the parade this year; he hadn’t been paying too much attention lately. A small smile spread across his lips when a float nearly swallowed by children rolled by. The children had the biggest smiles on their face and they were singing their hearts out. Some of the children on the float must have seen him because they were pointing up at him. He waved at them and they responded almost enthusiastically; one of the kids ran from the front of the group to the back. However, he quickly reappeared, holding onto the scarf of none other than Natsu Dragneel. Gray scanned the float and he noticed that Erza, Juvia, Lucy, Levy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Gramps, Loke, Mirajane and even Gajeel (although a bit disgruntled) were standing amongst the children.

“Hey Gray!” Natsu called, “You going to come and join us?!”

The ice mage didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sentiment; laugh because the kids were trying to take poor Natsu down and cry because well, he didn’t exactly know why… maybe it was because he was happy?

“I don’t know…”

“Stop being a stubborn idiot!” Erza shouted with a glare, “You have to come along… you owe me a strawberry cake remember?!”

He raised a dark eyebrow in her direction and laughed,

“What in the hell gives you that idea?”

“Gray Fullbuster! How dare you forget about my strawberry cake! I must now drag you down here for punishment!” She smirked at his terrified expression, “Prepare yourself!”

The raven-haired teen watched as Titania herself launched at his bedroom window and front tucked inside. He backed away from her intimidating form until his back was literally up against the wall. Her armoured hands were placed firmly on her hips and she smiled at him softly,

“Listen Gray, I know you’re afraid; after all, you have every right to be. But it’s not like you to let fear rule your life. Remember Deliora?” Gray unconsciously shuddered, “Even though you were terrified of that demon coming back to life, even though it meant fighting against your childhood friend and rival, you pushed yourself to protect the villagers and your comrades; you didn’t let your fear control you. I know this time is different, but I still have faith that you’re strong enough to beat this.”

Gray stared at one of his closest friends in utter disbelief. Erza thought he was brave; at this point he didn’t exactly feel that way, but she had a point. What’s he talking about? Of course she had a point, Erza _always_ has a point. He walked over to the armoured mage and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

He let go and made his way over to his window and looked down at the float of children and guild members who were waiting for him expectantly,

“Hey flame brain!”

Natsu smiled up at him,

“What do you want ice freak?”

“Clear the way!”

“You got it!”

The children were immediately moved out of the way and Gray took his stance. The ice magic pooled around in his palms, which soothed his anxious and chaotic spirit. He released his magic causing the spectators and children to make noises of appreciation. An ice slide leading from his window to the float had appeared; he jumped on and slid towards his guild members on his feet. When he landed on the float he was immediately swarmed by little bodies asking him to make more things with his ice magic. At that moment, Gray was the happiest he has been in a long time and he wouldn’t change it for the world. Nothing could ruin this evening for him now; not even if they tried.

FTFTFTFTFT

The sun had now completely set and the darkness of night had blanketed the sky. The stars sparkled brilliantly against the backdrop and the moon was full and almost as radiant as the sun was during the day. The autumn wind continued to blow around the different booths and games while playing with the different coloured leaves as it danced by. Natsu was walking beside his favourite ice mage in contentment; he was so happy that Erza was able to convince him to leave his house. Not only would it be more enjoyable with Gray there, but it would also be easier to keep an eye on him just in case the bastard decides to make an appearance. Somewhere along the way, he noticed that Gray had accidently stripped off his shirt. Normally he would’ve made fun of the ice mage’s uncontrollable habit, but not tonight. It had been months since the raven-haired teen peeled any clothes off in public because he didn’t like the new scars that adorned his body; he was ashamed. Gray wearing a shirt was weirder than Gray stripping in public; surprisingly enough, the guild decided that they liked his stripping better. Since Gray had taken his shirt off, maybe he was going to move on; that made everyone, including Natsu, very happy.

As they were walking between the different booths their hands would occasionally brush against each other. Every time this would happen, Natsu would involuntarily twitch and turn bright red; unbeknownst to him, Gray was doing the exact same thing. The dragon slayer has known a long time that he was gay, and for an even longer time had a crush on one particular ice mage. Hell, the ice mage was probably the one that started it all. Despite his feelings, Natsu couldn’t actually find the courage to tell Gray how he felt. He was terrified by the fact that Gray would most likely reject him and the relationship they do have would break into a million pieces. Plus, after everything the ice mage has been through lately, he couldn’t bring himself to force his feelings on him like that. Unknowingly, the confused dragon slayer let out a defeated sigh which caught the attention of the mage standing beside him.

“Hey, you alright?” Gray raised an eyebrow.

Natsu’s eye twitched and he shifted his gaze to his feet,

“Yeah, I’m just thinking.”

“Don’t strain yourself so much flame head,” He teased, “It would be bad if you gave yourself an aneurysm.”

The dragon slayer punched his rival in the arm,

“Shut up you ice block.”

Natsu listened to Gray laugh and he thought that it was the most magical sound that he had ever heard. The two boys continued to walk and didn’t notice when their pinkies latched around each other’s in a subtle and endearing way. After a while, they spotted Lucy, Erza, Happy and the others in the distance. They ran towards them and nearly knocked each other and poor Lucy over in the process.

“Hey!” She screamed, “Watch where you’re going!”

“Sorry Lucy, I just love you so much that I wanted to give you a hug.” Gray stated sarcastically.

“So,” Natsu looked expectantly at their other friends, “What have you guys been doing?”

“Erza only just got away from the dessert booth,” Wendy laughed, “If you want strawberry cake, I suggest you forget all about it.”

Gray sweatdropped,

“You said that you wouldn’t do that this year,”

“Don’t judge me Gray,” The armoured mage pouted, “It’s not my fault that the cake is so damn dastardly!”

Gray placed a mock sympathetic hand on her shoulder,

“Don’t worry, you didn’t stand a chance.”

The group laughed at the two of them causing Erza to glare at them darkly. She was starting to rant to them about manners or something when a bloody, mouldy, minty scent wafted to them. Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy stiffened at the recognizable smell. Even though Wendy and Gajeel didn’t come in direct contact with the man, his scent was in the abandoned building enough that they knew it.  Natsu’s onyx eyes narrowed dangerously and tried to find the source of the scent. Erza must have noticed the dragon slayers’ reactions because he could feel her scanning the area as well. Gray knew that something was up, but he couldn’t figure out what. He wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly wishing he had his shirt with him. An uncomfortable chill travelled up his back as he recognized what this feeling he had was and this time, he knew it wasn’t anxiety.

Natsu felt someone standing close behind him and he knew from the pure minty smell that it was Gray. He could almost feel the poor ice mage trembling against his back.

“Natsu,” He whispered, “He’s here isn’t he.”

The dragon slayer knew that it was more of a statement than a question, but he nodded anyway. Natsu instinctively grabbed onto Gray’s forearm and held him close. Luckily, he didn’t resist and the others didn’t say anything. He narrowed his senses trying to find the bastard when suddenly the autumn wind picked up and began to whip into a frenzy. A large man stepped out of the shadows and advanced on the Fairy Tail mages. His face was heavily scarred and his demon black eyes glittered mercilessly in the light of the full moon. As the man got closer, the wind started to get stronger; Natsu felt Gray stiffen in his arms,

“He’s a wind mage,” His face paled, “He didn’t have magic last time, I’m sure he didn’t.”

Thinking back, the dragon slayer had to agree with the ice mage. When he had encountered Yakumo in the hallway that day, there was no essence or magic energy coming from him at all. This just didn’t make sense. Natsu held onto Gray even tighter and his body radiated with hot flames. Yakumo smirked at the mages and ran his hand through his slicked back, curly, black hair. His eyes immediately fell on the ice mage that was being held protectively in the dragon slayers arms.

“Gray Fullbuster, Ice Mage of Fairy Tail, and Bearer of the Core of Magic,” Yakumo smiled maliciously, “I say that it’s time to finish off where we started.”

FTFTFTFTFT

“What did you call him?” Erza demanded while she requipped into her Knight Armour.

Yakumo’s laughter seemed to silence everything that was happening around them. When he was done he wiped away the nonexistent tears and once again moved his eyes to look at Gray,

“The Bearer of the Core of Magic; the person who has this core has the ability to give someone magical power over one of the elements. All my life, I was a non-magic user until I met Rahul and he told me about the Bearer of the Core of Magic. Over the years we collected pure male mages who possessed elemental magic. We were about to give up our search until we stumbled upon Gray Fullbuster; his magic was different than the others we collected, so we took him. Through our travels we learned that in order for the core to become activated, the mage has to go through a certain ‘rite of passage’. Rahul already had magic so he simply wanted to sell the ice mage to the highest bidder; however, I found he had other uses.”

Gray shrunk back into Natsu and his legs trembled. He was grateful for the secure hold that the dragon slayer had on him, or else he probably wouldn’t be standing at the moment. He could feel Natsu’s fire getting hotter and hotter so he subtly applied his ice magic to cool him down.

“However,” Yakumo continued, “The magic I was given is incomplete, therefore you will hand over the Bearer of the Core of Magic to me. If you do not oblige to my commands, I will kill each and every one of the villagers present at this festival tonight.”

“No!” Gray shouted as he stepped out of Natsu’s embrace, “I won’t let you do that!”

“Then I suggest you get your ass over here you stupid little bitch.”

Gray glanced back at his friends and they all had looks of terror and determination on their faces. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he forced them out of existence. He was about to step towards the devil when Natsu’s painfully hot hand wrapped around his wrist and threw him behind his body.

“Natsu! What are you…”

“Shut up ice block!” Natsu growled, “You know very well what I’m doing. I’m going to fight this bastard, kick his ass to the moon and back and finally free you from the darkness that he has encased you in.”

The colour drained from Gray’s face as he stared at Natsu’s back. Once again tears gathered at the corner of his eyes as Natsu’s body was replaced with that of Ur’s. Short black hair, pale skin, heartwarming dark eyes and an inner strength no one could rival. Yakumo’s body contorted into that of the demon Deliora and the fallen leaves was replaced by snow, debris and a skin biting wind. Gray was eight years old all over again; weak and defenseless.

 _Don’t worry Gray,_ Ur smiled at him encouragingly, _I’ll free you from your darkness._

A blast of strong wind threw Gray into the friends who were standing behind him. He watched in fear and shock as Natsu and Erza tried to fight for him. Yakumo wasn’t moving an inch despite the attacks from Titania and the Salamander. Gajeel soon joined the fight as well, but even with him helping they couldn’t get through Yakumo’s wind barriers. The tears that had welled up in his eyes fell down his cheeks in a never-ending waterfall. The sound of his friends’ screams were amplified in his ears as the sharp wind sliced through their bodies.

“No!” Gray cried, “It’s all my fault!”

_Be calm young one; you have the power to save them._

Gray glanced around himself for the source of the voice, but couldn’t find anyone. He could only see Lucy and Wendy who were standing by his side as defense if the others failed.

_What was once taken can be returned, have faith young one. Remember their love; remember the strength they gave you when you were in your darkest hour. Save them, Help them and Free them, just like they have Freed you; just like HE freed you!_

Gray closed his eyes and remembered just as the voice directed. He remembered their support and love for him over the months and how he wouldn’t have gotten to this point without them. He remembered what Erza had said to him earlier that evening about his bravery and he remembered how she was always by his side while growing up. He remembered his friends like Lucy, Juvia, Wendy, Happy, Carla and Gajeel and how they made him laugh and smile again. But most of all, he remembered Natsu. Natsu, his childhood friend, rival, crush and he hoped, future lover. He was the one who kept his life interesting, the one who made sure that Gray would continue to live. Natsu is his pillar of strength; the one person he can always rely on… the one who was able to break through his icy heart and prove that he could love again.

He felt a warm comforting light engulf his body. He could smell rich dirt, flowers, trees, and a burning campfire. He could feel the wind ruffling his hair, the water lapping against his legs and the sun’s heat kissing his skin. He could hear the sound of metal and electricity working together to make a sonic boom and he could feel his very essence. The comforting cold air pressed against his skin as the power welled up inside him. When he opened his eyes a shockwave of power erupted through the area gaining everyone’s attention on him, stunning everyone into silence.

FTFTFTFTFT

Natsu’s body was getting tired, but he refused to give in. His muscles ached and the cuts decorating his body burned with every move that he made. Even with the combined power of Erza, Gajeel, Leo, Juvia and Natsu, they couldn’t make a dent in Yakumo’s shield. If he considered his magic incomplete now, he didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like if it was complete. The dragon slayer’s body erupted with more flames at the thought of Yakumo wanting to get his hands on Gray again.

“FIRE DRAGON’S WING ATTACK!”

“IRON DRAGON’S ROAR!”

The combined attack of the dragon slayers were able to push Yakumo back, but were still unable to breech is barriers. Natsu growled in frustration and charged at Yakumo again only to have himself thrown into Erza which also prevented her attack. They hit the ground hard, successfully knocking the air out of their lungs.

“Where the hell is he getting his power from?!” Erza demanded as Juvia was also thrown off her feet.

“If I find out I’ll let you know.” Natsu spat.

“Is that all you have?” Yakumo taunted, “I’m not even at full strength and I’m still kicking your ass!”

“Not even close!” Natsu roared as he once again charged.

Suddenly, a massive shockwave blasted through the area scattering his senses. He instantaneously stopped his charge and turned around. Gray was on his feet, and a gold aura of power was pulsing around him. His once raven hair had turned pure white, even whiter than that of Lyon, and his deep blue eyes were a kaleidoscope of colours. Even from far away, Natsu could see his eyes changing from forest green to red, to ocean blue, to silver, to yellow, to crystal blue and back again. The battle had come to a complete standstill; everyone was staring at Gray.

“I will not let you hurt them!” He screamed at Yakumo.

“And what can you do to stop me you useless little whore?!” He challenged.

Natsu growled and turned to kick the shit out of the bastard, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found himself eye to eye with Gray. Natsu jumped slightly at how fast he had managed to get over there. Without warning, Gray wrapped his arms around the dragon slayer and held him close. Natsu could feel his wounds sealing up on his body. Gray stepped back from Natsu and gently pressed his lips to his tanned forehead. His onyx eyes widened at the action and Gray laughed silently,

“Be prepared Natsu, this might not stop him completely so you might have to finish him off for me.”

Before he could answer the ice mage had stepped around him and moved towards Yakumo’s stunned form. Ice followed Gray’s wake as he stalked towards the man who haunted him for over half a year. Each step he took sent a small shockwave of power in every direction; the shockwave had a healing effect on his loved ones.

“I will not let you hurt them!” Gray repeated darkly, “I will not let you hurt me or this town! I will not let you destroy the only place that has been home to me. Filthy bastards like you don’t deserve to have magic power!”

“And people who murder their teachers do?” Yakumo shot back.

“All those mages you pawned off, all the lives you destroyed,” Gray ignored him and sprinted towards the wind barrier, “All the laws that you perverted and all the pain that you inflict on others just to satisfy your own desires is pathetic!”

The power circulating around Gray expanded and the wind barrier was immediately dispelled. The ice mage dived at the bastard who ruined his life and put his hand on his forehead,

“What once was taken shall be returned, into the Fire you will be burned. Ice will encase you, metal will be the seal. Electricity will bind you and Water and Earth will close the deal. The wind shall return to its rightful place and banish said demon from this place!”

Natsu and the others watched as the light surrounding Gray expanded even further and swallowed them in a blinding light. They shielded their eyes from its brilliance and waited for the light to disappear. When the light finally dissipated Gray was exhausted and Yakumo was standing over him, his scarred face marred with a new scar and red blood. Natsu narrowed his eyes and saw that Yakumo was armed. He ran as fast as he could towards Gray, but Yakumo had already hoisted the exhausted mage into the air. Gray turned his head to Natsu and smiled as the knife in Yakumo’s hand dropped down and slit Gray’s throat.

FTFTFTFTFT

Gray could feel his life drifting away from him as soon as he hit the ground. The warmth of his blood blanketing him was soothing in a way. He wished he could spend more time with his friends; there was so much he wanted to do, but no time left to do it. His body was beginning to feel cold, cold even for him; he just wanted to close his eyes and drift off, but he still had to say something to Natsu and he refused to go until Natsu heard it. He could faintly hear a fight through the buzzing in his ears; he hoped that his friends were safe and sound.

Suddenly all was silent.

Gray thought the worst for one brief moment before warm arms wrapped around him and placed his hands against his bleeding throat. His exhausted gaze found Natsu’s, just like he hoped he would. Natsu’s cheeks were streaked with tears and his arms were shaking; Gray didn’t like seeing Natsu like this.

“Natsu…” He rasped.

“Shhh…” Natsu whispered soothingly, “Everything is going to be okay, Wendy is coming here now.”

“T-Thank you… for everything… Natsu…” Gray’s chest heaved exhaustedly, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Stop talking damnit!” He roared brokenly, “You need to save your strength.”

Tears rolled from the corner of his eyes as he raised his blood soaked hand and rested it against Natsu’s tanned cheek,

“Natsu, you freed me from my darkness, _you_ freed me because,” Gray coughed and blood trickled out of his mouth, “I… love you. I love you so much and I’m sorry that I’m only telling you know when I’m about to leave you.”

“N-No…” Natsu clutched the hand on his cheek, “You’re not leaving, you can’t leave! I love you too!”

“T-Thank you for unf-freeing my f-frozen heart my dear Natsu…”

Gray’s eyes drifted closed, a smile firmly on his face. As he drifted off into nothingness, the last thing he felt was the intense heat of an out of control flame,

“GRAY!”

TBC

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Mashima-dono owns Fairy Tail minna!


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